Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links and the products featured were provided for review.
Recently, Charlotte Tilbury has expanded its complexion range with several new products (read about the Magic Vanish Corrector and Magic Away Concealer here) and the star of the show is the Airbrush Flawless Foundation ($53 CAD for 30 ml). Promising a full, matte, and flawless coverage that stays all day, the foundation is available in 44 shades. I've got a pretty detailed review of my experience with the foundation today. To read on, click......
Packaging:
The Airbrush Flawless Foundation comes in an elegant frosted glass bottle. The cap and pump dispenser have a shiny rose gold finish, which is very much in line with the Charlotte Tilbury aesthetic. In terms of packaging, the Airbrush Flawless Foundation is top-notch. The bottle looks pretty enough to be displayed on a vanity.
Formulation:
Available in 44 shades, the Airbrush Flawless Foundation is a full-coverage foundation. The formulation contains Replexium, a wrinkle-reducing peptide complex, MossCellTec, hydration-boosting moss extract, and C.T. Defence, a combination of algae extract and amino acids designed to limit pollutant exposure. With a creamy, lightly-fragranced formulation, the foundation is slightly thick so it takes some effort to blend. The coverage is indeed quite impressive, camouflaging blemishes and general discoloration. The finish is mostly matte and it is a bit clingy, emphasizing the fine lines around my eyes and dry patches near my brow area. There's some minor oxidation, which became evident within 15 to 20 minutes after application.
When it comes to liquid foundation, I've always preferred a more matte and high-coverage formulation as they last longer on my oily-combination skin. However, the Airbrush Flawless Foundation had some serious issues with wear. Within the first couple of hours, I noticed how dry the foundation made my skin look, every single wrinkle and textural imperfection was highlighted. It was as if the pigments were vacuum-sealed onto my face, hugging every pore, bump, and line. Unfortunately, things only went downhill from there...
At around the four-hour mark when I checked my face in the mirror, I was actually shocked by what I saw. Instead of allowing natural sebum to seep through (as I expect from a good foundation), the Airbrush Flawless seems to have completely lost its grip and started to "float" on top of the sebum layer of my skin. All around my nose, brow, and mouth area, horrifying streaking and patchiness took form. When I tried to "smooth" things out with my fingers, however, things wouldn't even budge. So the best I could do is just rub off as much of the pigments as possible to at least look presentable. I know it sounds ridiculous, but with how bad the foundation made my skin look, it actually took all of my courage to not just turn around and go home. I've tried a lot of foundations over the years and this was hands-down, the worst. I honestly couldn't believe how bad it made my skin look.
Availability:
Charlotte Tilbury is available exclusively in stores and online at Sephora and Charlotte Tilbury.
Packaging:
The Airbrush Flawless Foundation comes in an elegant frosted glass bottle. The cap and pump dispenser have a shiny rose gold finish, which is very much in line with the Charlotte Tilbury aesthetic. In terms of packaging, the Airbrush Flawless Foundation is top-notch. The bottle looks pretty enough to be displayed on a vanity.
Formulation:
Available in 44 shades, the Airbrush Flawless Foundation is a full-coverage foundation. The formulation contains Replexium, a wrinkle-reducing peptide complex, MossCellTec, hydration-boosting moss extract, and C.T. Defence, a combination of algae extract and amino acids designed to limit pollutant exposure. With a creamy, lightly-fragranced formulation, the foundation is slightly thick so it takes some effort to blend. The coverage is indeed quite impressive, camouflaging blemishes and general discoloration. The finish is mostly matte and it is a bit clingy, emphasizing the fine lines around my eyes and dry patches near my brow area. There's some minor oxidation, which became evident within 15 to 20 minutes after application.
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| Charlotte Tilbury | Airbrush Flawless Foundation |
At around the four-hour mark when I checked my face in the mirror, I was actually shocked by what I saw. Instead of allowing natural sebum to seep through (as I expect from a good foundation), the Airbrush Flawless seems to have completely lost its grip and started to "float" on top of the sebum layer of my skin. All around my nose, brow, and mouth area, horrifying streaking and patchiness took form. When I tried to "smooth" things out with my fingers, however, things wouldn't even budge. So the best I could do is just rub off as much of the pigments as possible to at least look presentable. I know it sounds ridiculous, but with how bad the foundation made my skin look, it actually took all of my courage to not just turn around and go home. I've tried a lot of foundations over the years and this was hands-down, the worst. I honestly couldn't believe how bad it made my skin look.
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| Charlotte Tilbury | Airbrush Flawless Foundation in "3 Neutral" & "3 Cool" |
I generally test out foundations for several wears before doing some before and after swatches for the blog. With the Airbrush Flawless Foundation, however, my experience was so traumatizing that I couldn't bring myself to even put it on my face for a second time. I wish I had some photos to show you what the foundation looked like after a few hours, but I just do not want to go through the experience again. It's worth noting, as well, that when I tested out the foundation, I did not change any of my skincare prep before application so it's not the moisturizer or serum that could have caused this issue.
So in conclusion, this is not a foundation that I would recommend, at least not for oily, combination, or very dry skin. As much as I appreciate the wide shade selection and the beautiful packaging, the formulation was simply a nightmare. Not only did the dryness emphasize all lines and textures, but the wear was also a disaster. It appears that the formulation does not jive at all with sebum and will literally "break-down", creating the most unflattering patches and streaks. With all of this said, however, I do want to note that the foundation does seem to have a lot of positive reviews online so it really may be compatible with a different skin type. If you are curious about the formulation based on its description, then get a sample and give a go to see how it works for you.
Charlotte Tilbury is available exclusively in stores and online at Sephora and Charlotte Tilbury.
